Who are you and what is your role at Retero?
I’m Joël Retter, and technology has fascinated me for as long as I can remember, especially growing up around Retero. Even as a child, I was fascinated by the small metal parts my father made. I wanted to tag along as often as possible when he went to Retero to see if there were any new, cool parts in the scrap bin that I could play with. When we were kids, my brother and I would help our dad with his bookkeeping whenever he had a big pile of paperwork to sort. We’d spread everything out on the floor and organize it alphabetically – and we actually loved doing it. It was fun to help dad, and of course, earning a bit of pocket money made it even better. At the dinner table, we talked a lot about new machines and challenges, so my brother and I learned early on that the company isn’t just about numbers, but about people and taking responsibility.
That fascination with technology has been a constant throughout my life – from inventing things with Lego as a kid, to my apprenticeship as a design engineer, and later my bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering. During my studies, I was able to combine my technical background with business knowledge, which gave me a much broader perspective. I completed my degree in industrial engineering last year. The combination of hands-on experience and academic training allows me to understand both the technical and the business side, and just as importantly, the people behind it.
Today, continuing Retero alongside my brother and supporting my father is something that means a lot to me personally.
At the moment, I’m deliberately taking the time to learn the company from the ground up. I spend time in the workshop, getting to know our machines and processes in detail – from wire EDM to the other manufacturing methods. It’s important to me not just to understand things in theory, but to really experience how they work in practice.
Looking ahead, I aim to support my father more in sales and strategic topics, and gradually take on greater responsibility.
From your personal perspective, what does Retero stand for?
To me, Retero stands for stability, quality, and a long-term perspective rather than quick fixes.
We are a Swiss family-owned business, specialized in micro-scale wire EDM and we place great value on fair and honest collaboration with our customers, suppliers, and employees.
Honesty and reliability are values my father taught us from an early age. I strongly believe that good partnerships are built on trust, not on promises that can’t be kept. We want our customers to feel that we truly listen, think along with them, and actively contribute to improving their processes.
What are your personal goals for the future at Retero?
My goal is to continue running Retero together with my brother, keeping the company stable and modern while preserving the values my father built it on. I want to help shape a company that stays at the forefront of technology, without ever losing sight of the people behind each project – both on the customer side and within our own team.
A long-term dream of mine would be to develop Retero into THE go-to source for micro-machining of metal components, built on quality, trust, and long-term collaboration.